The origin of the modern keyboard as the primary method for inputting text and data from a human to a machine dates back to early typewriters in the 19th century. As computers were developed, it was a natural evolution to adapt the typewriter keyboard to be used as the primary method for inputting text and data. While the implementation of the keys on a typewriter and subsequently computer keyboards have evolved from mechanical to electrical and finally to electronic, the size, placement, and mechanical nature of the keys themselves have remained largely unchanged.
Computers, and their accompanying keyboards, have become pervasive in environments across numerous industries, many of which have harsh conditions not originally accounted for in the computer and keyboard designs. For example, computers are now used in the kitchens of restaurants, on production floors of manufacturing facilities, and on oil drilling rigs. These are environments where a traditional keyboard will not remain operational for very long without cleaning, due to extreme contamination conditions.
Computers are also being used in environments where extreme cleanliness is required. Hospital nursing stations, operating rooms, examination rooms, dental treatment rooms, and diagnostic facilities all now commonly make use of computers. These are environments where infection control is extremely important. Keyboards become a particularly difficult problem to resolve in achieving an antiseptic environment because of the difficulty presented in cleaning them. This is evidenced by a study conducted by the Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu, Hi. that found that nearly 25 percent of the keyboards used in the hospital harbored the type of bacteria that is responsible for 95% of all hospital-acquired illnesses.
Because of the mechanical nature of the keys on traditional keyboards, they contain many moving parts that result in cracks and cavities where dust and contamination can collect. Further, keyboards are repeatedly in contact with human hands—one of the most common transporters of dirt, bacteria, viruses, and other infectious agents. Cleaning a traditional mechanical keyboard presents difficult challenges. On a typical keyboard, there are over 500 individual surfaces to clean (counting the tops and sides of each key). Many of these surfaces are very difficult to access and clean effectively, especially without pressing down on the keys, meaning they must be cleaned while the keyboard is disabled or the computer turned off.
Some past inventions have sought to address the problem of clean-ability by using sealed rubber keys on the keyboard. These keyboards are made from soft, pliable rubber (typically silicon rubber) that is molded and sealed over the electrical key contacts providing a moisture barrier. This makes it possible, for example, to place the keyboard under running water to clean it. The keys still have mechanical travel and a tactile feel, which is generally considered favorable for fast and efficient typing.
While this approach makes it possible to clean the keyboard, there are still many problems related to the use of rubberized keyboards. First of all, rubber is porous, which means dirt and other contaminants tend to collect more easily at the microbial level and are more difficult to wipe clean, often requiring more rubbing and/or solvents to separate the contaminants from the rubber. Second, in typical configurations, the rubber keys protrude from the rubber base so there are still small gaps between the keys that are difficult to get to and clean by wiping.
Some rubber configurations avoid the problem of gaps between keys by stretching a smooth thin sheet of silicon rubber over the entire keyboard area of a regular keyboard, and then marking the key locations with a graphical image on the rubber cover. This approach makes it possible to clean the keyboard by wiping, and still maintains the tactile feel of the travel and click of the mechanical keys below the cover (although it is somewhat dampened by the rubber cover). However, the problem of the porous nature of the rubber still exists. Finally, the rubber membrane is soft and susceptible to cracks, tears, and deep scratches. These can cause further problem areas for potential contamination.
Another type of cleanable configuration is a membrane keyboard (or keypad). These are typically made by sandwiching a sensor membrane between a hard flat surface (such as plastic) and a top covering made from vinyl or Mylar®. These units are completely sealed by the top covering, permitting them to be cleaned. The sensor membrane is typically made up of two thin sheets with a conductive grid on each that make contact with each other when the membrane is pressed firmly together. The amount of mechanical travel required to do this is very small and virtually imperceptible to the human touch, meaning there is no tactile feedback when a key is pressed. Some membrane keyboards are completely smooth and flat, while others have small protrusions in the top covering to indicate the outlines of each key.
The advantage of a membrane keyboard is that it is flat with no gaps between the keys, making it easy to wipe and clean. The primary shortcoming of a membrane keyboard is that is difficult to type on efficiently. It is often difficult to feel the keys, resulting in the user having to look at the keyboard. The lack of tactile feedback also slows typing. And finally, the amount of force to actuate a membrane key is usually much higher than that of a normal keyboard, causing the user to fatigue more quickly.
Yet another way to address the clean-ability problem is to cover the keyboard with a commercially available plastic film that has been molded to fit over each key. The plastic film is pliable, allowing the user to feel the movement of each key, so they are still able to type without looking. The cover can be removed, washed, and then put back on the keyboard. In some instances, users cover their keyboard with stretchy plastic wrap (commercially known as Saran wrap) in order to make it more readily cleanable.
Because the molded cover has indents for each key, it is still difficult to clean while in place; it is usually necessary to remove the cover in order to clean it. The molded plastic film also impedes the movement and feel of the keys making it somewhat more difficult to type when it is in place.
To overcome the problem of clean-ability of the keyboard, it seems intuitive that if the keyboard surface itself could be a flat, or nearly flat planar surface, then wiping the keyboard to clean it would be much easier. This means, however, that an alternative to the physical mechanical or membrane keys of the keyboard would need to be found.
Therefore, there is a need to improve on the above methods for keyboard entry in a way which is easy to clean, allows the user to feel the keys, allows the user to rest their fingers on the keys, requires the same or less force to press a key as on a standard keyboard, is responsive to human touch, and allows the user to type as fast or faster as on a standard keyboard.